Many thanks to Netgalley, HarperCollins UK Audio and the author for the ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mickey is a young black writer in a happy relationship and everything seems to be going well, when she gets fired and misunderstandings lead to her girlfriend suggesting they go on a break. Tired and feeling like there is no one in her corner, Mickey posts a tweet about the racism and all the other issues she has faced as a black queer writer. When her tweet seems to have gone unnoticed she moves to her hometown to forget NY and its cruelties and as fate would have it her post goes viral.

This book is a contemporary piece of fiction showing everything about being a person of global majority in the publishing field while also identifying as a woman and queer. The biases, the expectations and the standards never let up. The narrator was absolutely brilliant and made the book even more enjoyable.

Such a relatable story. The main character was amazing - life throws her some curve balls but she just rides the waves. Made me stop and think about my life and what I would do if I was her. Great read.

I really enjoyed the main character's voice, and I thought the delve into racism in all its forms within the publishing industry in all its forms was interesting, but I also wanted more of it! I feel like the premise of the book promised us a lot more time with the ramifications of Mickey's open letter, and instead we spent a lot of time meandering in Mickey's home town and her relationships in a way that sometimes felt a bit dead-ended.
I did like the author's writing style, so I would definitely keep my eye out for her next projects in the hope they gel with me a little better.

I think overall I wanted more from this novel. I have read other similar books that just read better and gave more. So unfortunately not for me.

Homebodies is a book I spotted on netgalley a few months ago and loved the premise of; Mickey is a young, black, gay writer trying to make her way in the world of media publishing.

She is shocked and distraught to learn that she is being let go from her coveted position as a magazine writer and decides to write an open letter detailing the racial micro-aggressions she has experienced in the industry. However when the letter doesn’t receive the response she expects, she puts her relationship with her girlfriend in jeopardy and escapes New York, fleeing to her hometown.

This book started out so well but just went nowhere. Mickey is a deeply unlikeable character and I felt sorry for her long suffering girlfriend throughout, who is a goddamn angel.

The blurb describes this as “intimate, witty, and deeply sexual” and for me anyway, it was none of those things. As I said at the start, the premise of this one felt really timely and important; issues of race and racism within the media and even Mickey’s search for answers back home in Maryland should have felt more engaging but honestly it was a slog to get through and my primary emotions were frustration and boredom.

The narrator on audio definitely helped me stay with this book, otherwise I think I would have abandoned it halfway through.

As always, this has lots of positive reviews too so judge for yourself, it just didn’t work for me.

With thanks to @netgalley and @harpercollinsuk for the opportunity to read #HomeBodies in exchange for an honest review.

A coming of age story of Mikey, supposed to be living her dream in the big city with her high flying media job however the dream turns into a nightmare when she is replaced at work. life then takes a spiral which I guess it would do for anyone, however instead of finding another role Mikey slumps into a strange place where everything is wrong with life. Then Mikey goes back to her hometown where she grew up and finds solace with her former community and finally starts to heal. Its office politics and although the book is about a black woman it could be anyone, male/female, gay/straight, ginger hair or blond it docent really matter. The anger is part of the book I guess but I grew tired of it at times. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review.

A bit too self-aware, a bit too witty, a bit too disconnected from itself to tell a compelling story.

This was an engaging character study of Mickey, a young writer experiencing racism in its many forms, with losing their job part of this.
What follows is a diary-like story and listening to it on audio was like listening to a diary. I was wondering what would happen to Mickey, but in the end the letter they've written about what they've endured is the important focus and them finding their true self as a result. A read that I'd recommend.

3.5 - Homebodies tells the story of the 20-something black girl who's been sold the dream, only to discover it won't readily include her. We're introduced to Mickey through her job first, her relationships second. And it's in this order that the two have taken priority in her life, despite the fact that she's in no way respected at work. When the inevitable happens and she's replaced with a new, more palatable, diversity hire, it strengthens the questions and doubts we've already been introduced to.

Mickey's treatment at work, and her loss at what to do when she's fired, is all too relatable and started the book with a feeling that was hard to stay in too long for its honesty. However, the relationship arcs seemed to sit at odds with this, almost as though we were experiencing two separate novel ideas at once. They were messy, intentionally so, but in a way that didn't work for me in such a short book. In isolation, I loved both sides of Mickey's story, and I'm keen to read more from the author - but I'm hoping for either a clearer focus or more room to take in the nuance in the next one.

Mickey has been fired from an New York City media job that she thought would launch her career for reasons that feel personal, confusing and racist. She gets stuck in a depressive cycle trying to deal with the shock of it, leading to her breaking off a long-term relationship and sending a detailed letter about her experience as a Black woman in the media industry into the world. To reset her life (and perhaps briefly run away from it), she goes back to her family home in Maryland, where she reconnects with friends, family and a past lover. As Mickey works to reestablish who she is to herself, she confronts old wounds and considers new futures.

The main character in Homebodies is deeply relatable. She is flawed and stumbling through a difficult moment in her life. We watch with empathy as she makes questionable decisions and ignores the advice from the people around her who love her. This is a story about finding your way through by stepping back into the familiar. We've all been there - or felt the pull to do that. While we might not have the exact experiences of Mickey, Tembe Denton-Hurst has built a world that invites us in to understand and explore alongside her. In the end, the author allows space for the reader to imagine the consequences of Mickey's choices and the future into which she might be stepping.

It was an engaging read.

I need to take some time and then come back an read this again. I was given this ARC with a wildly misleading description, on reading the novel I found myself frustrated with the main character and their attitudes and responses to what was happening. I was expecting a different type of book with a different type of character.

As a white reader it did make me examine my own prejudice around how I expect people to respond to discrimination and our tendency to praise "inspiration porn'" without acknowledging how exhausting the reality is.

Genuinely enjoyed this book and its narrator. Characters were relatable which made boon a pleasure to listen to. Temne Denton-Hurst approaches pride, relationships and family dynamics in a brilliant way. Highly recommend!

First I want to thank NetGalley and HQ (Harper Collins UK) for offering me the opportunity to listen to this book in advance of being released in exchange for my honest review.

I was very interested in reading/ listening to this book after reading the short description of it and I feel like the book gave me what needed to read/ listen to.

The main character, Mickey's life it's a mess but who's life is not a mess in a way? And I feel like in the end, she ended up finding what she wants and what she needed to be in order to find herself.

I thought this book was really powerful in an understated way. It highlights important issues around race, and also how it feels to be a lost 20 something.

Forced out of a job she loves when her ideas (and face) no longer seems to fit, Homebodies follows Mickey's journey of self discovery as she tries to determine what next.

Having never felt she fully fitted in anywhere, after her mother left, her father remarried, her first girlfriend seems to have only wanted to be with her because she was trying something new and her long term partner is challenging her regarding what is next, while not backing her up at a family meal. Mickey takes refuge at her Grandparents' home, being forced to do daily chores in return for bed, board and the space to explore her past and future.

Showing the fickle nature of social media when a public letter she posts is initially ignored only to later become viral, the story also looks at micro-aggressions, racism, homophobia and self esteem and motivation.

While seeming to conclude with hints that things turn out in the end, it wasn't abundantly clear what the future looked like for Mickey. My hope is that she finds happiness and takes encouragement from the positive messages she starts receiving towards the end.

Homebodies was not quite what I expected, but I love character based books, and this was an emotional and accurate depiction of the main character's struggles with depression, discrimination and relationships at a difficult time in her life. It is not an upbeat read, but Tembe Denton-Hurst's writing is beautiful, and the characters are realistic and honest depictions of the struggles they're going through - to find direction in their lives, to overcome unfair discrimination and judgement from friends and family, and to live with depression. I felt that the storyline was a bit unevenly paced and may have tried to cover too many things in one story, but it was a beautifully written snapshot of time in a young, black, queer woman's life.

The audiobook narration by Marcella Cox was powerfully done. She really brought out the emotions in every conversation and thought the characters had and I think that really added to the experience of the book.

The book turned out different than what I was expecting. I thought the book would focus more on the social injustice and the struggles that black women face in the work place, and the prejudices they constantly have to deal with, the constant battling for themselves and how tiring it is having to hold back to no be labelled as "aggressive" or "difficult". The book focused on love, black queer love which was wonderful and it was great to read something different. However, I would have preferred if there was less focus on the love aspect and more focus on the struggles and coming out stronger. The topics of anxiety and depression were portrayed really well, I just think I was expecting something a little different before I started reading. I was very well written, with an almost poetic way of writing and I would still recommend the book, just be warned, it's more of a romance struggle book than a social struggle book.

Powerful In Its Torpor - Bear With Me

🧡 I may be completely off, but I saw this as a powerful insight into the exhaustion, the sheer effort it must take to deal with the issues Mickey has to just to get by day-to-day. That meant this wasn’t an easy listen.

💚 I wanted a powerful fight back; a resurgence. I wanted Mickey to emerge triumphant. But life isn’t like that. And it’s important to reflect that in fiction. Having said that, I can’t give five stars to something that put me in an existential slump. Even if for a good reason.
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SOUNDBITE

🎧 I won’t call this an easy listen - it has too much going on for that. But I was able to keep listening while going about my day.

🎧 Marcella Cox has a voice I’d follow into any section of the audioverse. Warm with a slightly dry edgy, it feels like you’re listening to your bff confiding her inner thoughts.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get into the writing style of this one. It's very lyrical and thoughtful, which will definitely appeal to some people, but just isn't what I want to read right now. The novel seems to toe the line between literary and contemporary (there is a lot of plot, in fairness) and the story was interesting, but the writing style was really putting me off after a while.

Mickey was living the dream and working as a writer for a cool publication in New York, When she posted a blog about the realities of working for the company, she fled to her hometown to wait out the backlash and ignored her glamorous NY life. She reconnects with her family and faces up to a lot of home truths. Its a pleasant enough listen and the narrator is good but I didn't find it overly gripping and it didn't hook me in.